I Love To Watch You Smiling

What was originally supposed to be two years has been quietly extended to four.  I'm not sure he even realized it or maybe each day after the 730th day was trying and treacherous.  He really didn't complain though.  Four years without chewing gum.  Four years where eating toffee or popcorn or WORSE caramel corn was as frowned upon as breaking the law.  Four years of a cut up mouth.  Four years of constantly picking shit out of his teeth.  Four years of mouth tracks.  Four years of missing teeth.  Four years of feeling self conscious.  It all came to an end.  Today.

Before

Gage's years of braces are finally ending.  Years of trying to sort out the mess that was his teeth.  Four missing permanent teeth and a large gaping space between his protruding two front teeth.  I'm sure there was even more to it, but those were the obvious physical ones.  They spent the first two years pushing all his teeth together only to learn that it doesn't look "natural" or as nice as they had hoped, so another two years making spaces in his smile again so they could fit two fake teeth in when it was all said and done.  A wasted two years for this poor kid.

After (looks like a completely different kid!)

Today we spent the day completing a part of him.  Today the money spent means nothing and is a distant memory.  Today they removed the tracks.  Today they filled the holes. Today his smile is complete.  He's pretty perfect to me regardless, but he'll be a little bit more comfortable in his skin now.  And there's not a whole lot in this world I love more than to see him genuinely smile.  I love his new smile.